Morgoth: The True Villain Of The Rings Of Power Here Is the Origin and Story Explained
Morgoth, the dark name given to the fallen Vala Melkor, is mentioned several times in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but the character’s presence is limited to vague allusions and myths, and his real name is only spoken once. Sauron alone is presented as the greatest threat to Middle-earth, and this is even truer in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, which strongly gives the impression that Mordor’s fiery eye in the sky represents the very essence of the evil within Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings tells us, however, that Sauron once had a teacher, and through the appendices and The Silmarillion Tolkien tells the story of this so ancient villain. In this article, we will briefly tell you the story of Morgoth and try to understand if he can have some role within the Rings of Power.
The Story of Morgoth
Melkor was a powerful Ainur who, however, unlike his brothers, began to become proud, to the point of thinking that he wanted to become the Lord of Arda, the fictional planet where Tolkien’s stories are set. His deeds sowed death and pain among the Valar, the elves and men, thus attracting the interests of some Maiar, including Sauron, and the beings then known by the name of Balrog.
And it was always Melkor, later known as Morgoth and Dark Lord, who created the orcs, corrupting the elves with magic and torture, among the most abject acts he has ever done. Later, Morgoth dealt a severe blow to Valinor and devastated all of Middle-earth during the First Age. Sauron was his chief lieutenant at the time, but the power wielded by Morgoth largely eclipses that of his servant Di. Even during his Second Age, Sauron never even came close to Morgoth’s destructive ability.
Despite his importance, this villain is never depicted in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, but Amazon Prime Video’s Rings of Power shows us the destruction of the Telperion and Laurelin Trees in Valinor, one of the crimes more infamous than Morgoth. As the trees are dying, the sky behind them transforms into a huge human-shaped shadow with a spiky crown and armor. This is the first live-action depiction of Morgoth and is faithful to the few details Tolkien provided regarding the physical appearance of the first, true Dark Lord. The villain is described as very tall, and wore black armor (which inspired Sauron’s design in the Sauron movie) and wears a very heavy helmet.
Where is Morgoth? And Can He Come Back?
When his conquest of Middle-earth reached its height in the First Age, Morgoth was opposed by a massive army of elves and men of Middle-earth, plus the Army of the Valar convinced to intervene by Eärendil, father of Elrond and Elros. This bloody conflict is known as the War of Wrath, and it ended with the defeat of Morgoth. The Valar captured and tried him, then condemned him to pass through the mysterious Night Gate to enter the Void. Tolkien did not describe in detail the exact nature of the Void and the final fate of Morgoth, but The Silmarillion suggests that Morgoth’s spirit was simply trapped and disembodied, rather than defeated forever, as Eärendil is tasked with guarding the gate, and a guard automatically implies the possibility of escape.
Morgoth’s return would also be confirmed in an earlier version of the Silmarillion, which included the Dagor Dagorath prophecy, the Battle of Battles. Omitted from the final edition of the book by the author’s son, Christopher Tolkien, the Dagor Dagorath is described by JRR Tolkien as a battle that will take place to end all battles at the end of time. In this version, Morgoth conspired to break through the Night Gate and thus begin the apocalypse. Against him will once again be the Valar, along with an army that also includes heroes resurrected from past ages. Morgoth eventually falls (forever this time) and the world is completely rebuilt.
